Shadow GOP? (Updated)

Manhattan GOP Chairman Dan Isaacs, who unsuccessfully challenged Ed Cox for the state GOP chairmanship back in the spring of 2009, has launched a Republican Leadership Council to not only bolster his own local organization, but to raise campaign cash and provide support for “outstanding Republican candidates at every level.”

At first, the pitch seems focused solely on New York County, as Isaacs writes:

“Drawing on their vast wealth of experience and contacts, RLC members provide critical financial and personal support for Republican campaigns,” Isaacs wrote. “The RLC members serve as close advisors to the CountyChairman and mentors for candidates and senior staff to help them wage strong, credible, and winning campaigns.”

“With 32 legislative districts, hundreds of dedicated volunteers, and nearly 100,000 registered Republican voters in Manhattan, the RLC is dedicated to fielding candidates in every district and giving them the grassroots support they need.”

Someone should correct me if I’m wrong here, but I’m fairly certain there hasn’t been a single Republican legislator from Manhattan since 2002 Sen. Liz Krueger defeated then Assemblyman John Ravitz in a special election for ex-Sen. Roy Goodman’s old Silk Stocking (Upper East Side) seat, and none on the NYC Council, either. (The GOP lawmakers on both those bodies all hail from the outer boroughs).

UPDATE1: Former Assemblyman Jonathan Bing sets the record straight, reminding me that he took the last Republican seat in Manhattan not Krueger, adding: “Liz beat John in thesSpring of 2002 in the Goodman Senate special, but John remained in the Assembly until the end of 2002. I won the open seat in November 2002 by 721 votes over Gail Hilson and there was no elected R in Manhattan as of 1/1/03.”

Lower down in his letter, however, Isaacs reveals he has already lined up an “impressive roster of people” committed to hosting future RLC events, including NY-25 Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle and Rep. Marsh Blackburn of Tennessee.

Also, the $1,000 RLC membership fee (to be paid in personal or corporate funds), gets contributors access to two “exclusive” functions a year, an invite to the NY GOP’s annual holiday party and access to forums with senior representatives from the Republican Senate and Assembly conferences and campaigns.

Isaacs took over the Manhattan GOP last February when Jennifer Saul decided to step down to spend more time with her family.

Since then, he has kept up a steady stream of fundraisers for a wide range of GOP candidates and also landed in the news for inviting then-potential 2012 presidential contender Donald Trump to keynote the party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner in June. (Trump backed out after announcing he wouldn’t seek the GOP nod after all, although now he’s making noises about a potential independent candidacy; he was replaced as the keynote speaker by Texas Gov. Rick Perry).

The RLC seems to rival a new fundraising push by Cox, who tapped Matthew Mellow to be the state GOP’s finance chairman over the summer. Cox, as you’ll recall, made fundraising a central part of his platform to succeed former state GOP Chairman Joe Mondello, and succeeded in landing the position even though the bulk of the state’s Republican leaders – save for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos – backed former Niagara County GOP Chairman Henry Wojtaszek.

Isaacs has never been shy about making his ambitions known. He was the only state GOP chair candidate to formally announce his intent to challenge Mondello for the post. Now it looks like he’s building up a base – potentially for some future move – aided by the fact that the bulk of wealthy donors live in his county.

UPDATE2: Isaacs called to stress that he is a big supporter of Cox and has no plans to challenge him. When I asked if that means he’s no longer interested in the state chairmanship, he replied: “Not at all,” adding: “When the time comes that Ed Cox is no longer chairman, I don’t think it would come as any surprise to see me in the mix.”

Isaacs also said the RLC first started about midway through last year and raised between $20,000 and $25,000. The first fundraiser was held at Cox’s NYC apartment, and Skelos was the special guest. This year, Isaacs hopes to be “more aggressive” in his fundraising efforts so he can help more candidates in the 2012 cycle.